Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 26) — San Miguel Corporation (SMC) said it has officially completed its ₱1 billion Tullahan River clean-up project, removing a total of 1.12 million tons of waste two years after it started.
“We are happy to report that in just a little over two years, we’ve accomplished our primary objectives: to remove accumulated silt and solid wastes from the river bed, as well as deepen and widen it to increase its water holding capacity to reduce severe flooding,” SMC President and CEO Ramon Ang said in a statement Friday.
The project, which started in 2020 along with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, is aligned with the company’s push towards greater sustainability. It is also one of its Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives, and essentially in support of the government’s flood mitigation efforts and Manila Bay’s rehabilitation.
According to the company, the clean-up project immediately benefits flood-prone cities along the Tullahan River, particularly Caloocan, Malabon, Navotas, and Valenzuela.
“In accordance with the dredging plan prepared (by) the DPWH (Department of Public Works and Highways) for the initiative, the Tullahan River rehabilitation effort covered a total of 11 kilometers, starting at the Manila Bay in Navotas City to the section near the North Luzon Expressway in Caloocan City,” SMC said.
Ang noted that stakeholders can build on what was achieved in the completed project — the regular removal of waste and ensuring that no more waste or untreated water is dumped into the Tullahan River.
“This will entail a solid waste and wastewater management system that will involve all stakeholders, including local and national government agencies, the private sector, and more importantly, the communities that are located beside or near the river,” Ang said.
Pasig River clean-up
Despite the completion of the project, Ang said SMC is still not done with its river rehabilitation efforts.
“On the last day of its Tullahan operations, the company also marked the first year of its ₱2-billion cleanup initiative for the Pasig River, also a major tributary to the Manila Bay,” SMC said.
It added that over 500,000 metric tons of silt and waste were already removed from the river as of Aug. 13.
“We expect to intensify our operations as we move our dredging equipment to the mouth of the Pasig River leading to the Manila Bay in the coming days. This portion is crucial since, based on our hydrographic surveys, easing the bottleneck by deepening this area will help increase the flow of water that leads to the Manila Bay,” Ang explained.
Apart from heavy equipment it acquired for its clean-up efforts like dredgers, backhoes, barges, and dump trucks, SMC said it also received two high-capacity excavators from Japan shipping giant NYK Line, which supported the project.
With these and the hiring of more personnel, the company said it is confident it can maintain its target of removing 50,000 metric tons of wastes on the Pasig River every month.
The completed sections now measure five to six meters deep, it added, compared to the two to three meters depths observed in the beginning of the project.
